Episode 128: Parent Power —The Rise and Impact of Micro-Schools

What if you could reclaim control over your child's education and create a thriving learning environment tailored to their needs? Join me as I explore the transformative world of micro-schools and the promise they hold for families seeking personalized educational opportunities. Sharing my personal journey as an African American mom, I discuss the rising popularity of micro-schools, especially in places like Arizona, where they are not just reshaping the K-12 landscape but also tackling systemic issues head-on. Learn how various types of micro-schools, including independent models, partnerships, and provider networks, offer unique pathways for child-centered learning, despite challenges like financial sustainability and staff retention.

I'll also highlight the inspiring story of the Black Mothers Forum in Arizona, which has pioneered micro-schools as a response to educational disparities. Discover how these innovative spaces leverage public funds through scholarships and charter partnerships to offer culturally responsive teaching environments. I explore the significant role of Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts in supporting this movement and the increasing demand among diverse communities for these alternative models. Find out how micro-schools are changing the traditional metrics of academic success and creating new opportunities for families of color to reclaim their children’s educational journeys beyond the confines of standardized testing.

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Chapters

• 0:55 Micro Schools
• 13:40 The Rise of Micro Schools

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:56

Welcome to another episode of K-12 Education Untangled.

Speaker 1: 1:01

My name is Dr Kim J Fields, former corporate manager turned education researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as experiencing the microaggressions that I faced as an African American mom raising my two kids, who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed, I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their education and progress. This battle-tested experience is what I provide as action steps for you to take. It's like enjoying a bowl of educational research with a sprinkling of mother wisdom on top. If you're looking to find out more about current information and issues in public education that could affect you and your children, and the action steps that you can take to give your children the advantages they need, then you're in the right place. Thanks for tuning in today. I know that staying informed about K-12 public education trends and topics is important to you, so keep listening. In this episode, I'll be discussing the power of parents and parent advocates in developing personalized learning environments, specifically micro schools. Are you tired of the political agenda that's being pushed in public schools across this country? You might want to seriously think about micro schools. This is parent power at its best. These parents supervise small learning environments that have been established for families who want to reclaim control of their children's educational trajectories, especially when their children's needs have not been met in traditional public schools. I discuss the growing trend of micro schools and their impact on the K-12 public education system in this episode. Let's untangle this.

Speaker 1: 3:33

Microschools are not really a new model of schooling. Many are just updated versions of the one-room schoolhouses that existed across America in the latter half of the 19th century. Microschools typically are located in churches, community spaces or commercial buildings. Microschools highlight the challenges faced as far as long-term sustainability without access to public education funding or clear regulatory frameworks that would allow their continued operation. Microschools are often created in permissionless ways outside of education. They can be organized as learning centers that support homeschoolers, private schools and other ways. There are about 125,000 microschools that serve more than 1.5 million learners and, as of the 2022-2023 school year, there were about 2.2 million children attending micro schools full time. This is about 4% of school children in this nation.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Three distinct varieties of micro schools currently exist Independent micro schooling, partnership micro schooling and provider networks. Independent micro schools are the small groups that are often formed in art and dance studios, empty store fronts and other creative locations, including private homes. These are the ones that most often come to mind when you hear the term micro school Partnership. Micro schools form a collaboration between a host provider, like an employer, local government agency or place of worship that can bring resources or facility space, and a technical partner that brings the expertise responsible for teaching and learning. Provider networks align with established organizations like Acton or Primer, to name a few, or PRIMER, to name a few, that help to support micro school lodges by bringing capital, back, office help and other institutional help that founders find valuable. The National Microschooling Center that launched in August of 2022 has its headquarters in Las Vegas. It is the nation's preeminent non-profit empowering of the pioneering of these small learning environments and for building a thriving, diversified micro-schooling sector that lives up to its transformative potential. The center has members in 23 states.

Speaker 1: 6:27

The micro-school environment is much more of an active learning paradigm than a passive, factory model for instruction. This type of environment can lead to a level of child-centered learning which typically you won't find in most charter school systems. Microroschools can serve from 15 to 150 students and may be full of part-time learning experiences from PK to 12. They provide these learning experiences at lower cost than traditional private schools. Microschool are loose and have a type of affiliation of teacher-related schools that provide platforms, instructional materials, professional learning, enrollment support and back office support. Micro school networks may be one of the most important innovations in the modern era of US K-12 education. They help to boost graduation rates and achievement, and they provide high-quality options that are most needed by many communities. Being part of a network provides the ability to take risks, design and innovate new ideas with the support and experience of others. Curated curriculum materials as well as technology tools, common design principles that are at the core of the network model and more data to make better informed decisions. There are urban, rural and thematic micro school networks that support powerful learning for all students, as well as a variety of options for students to find a place that best works for their learning experiences.

Speaker 1: 8:21

A lot of the focus during times of crisis, like a pandemic, highlight the predominantly higher income white families who use their privilege and resources to hoard opportunities for their children in times of these crises. But we often don't hear as much about the stories of Black and Latinx families who invented educational solutions, not just as a crutch to get through the crisis of COVID, but also as an antidote to the problems plaguing the public education system long before the pandemic. The story of Black Mothers Forum, or BMF, in Arizona is one of these. I mentioned a couple of other examples that I discussed in my first foray into micro schools in episode 90 of my podcast. Black Mothers Forum was founded by mothers who were long concerned about the safety and welfare of their Black children. Bmf was founded in 2016 with the goal of combating institutional racism, including disproportionate discipline, unrepresentative curricula and racial bullying in the Phoenix area public schools. It is an Arizona-based education advocacy group that launched two micro schools for Black families in Phoenix, arizona, in January 2021. Bmf also partnered with Prinda, which is a well-known micro-school curriculum provider. However, they adapted Prinda's model to better meet the needs of Black families. Micro-schools often provide Black families with a safe and affirming space for their children, and they specifically address shortcomings that these families perceived in their past experiences with school systems.

Speaker 1: 10:22

Arizona has policies that enable tuition-free microschools, but BMF had to raise money from other sources to pay for enhancements to the curriculum. This raises questions about financial sustainability. Learning guides were hired as contractors by Prenda and worked with five to ten students every day, monday through Friday, and for four-hour sessions. There were two classes with 10 students each and two learning guides, one per classroom. The two learning guides that supported each classroom were Black mothers with master's degrees in K-12 education or a teacher certification with diverse experiences. The micro school eventually increased the learning guides to two per classroom and also extended the school day from four hours to six hours. Parents had monthly meetings with their students' learning guides and a weekly newsletter went out to each of the parents on Fridays. Arizona's school choice-friendly laws offer families three different ways to access its micro schools with public funding, students can enroll at Prinda through an online charter school. Prinda can enter similar subcontracting arrangements with school districts, and families can pay micro-school tuition directly using educational savings accounts.

Speaker 1: 11:56

In Arizona Prenda micro-schools are tuition-free because of the organization's charter school partnerships, and while this policy structure makes it possible for microschools to receive public funding, it's not equitable and it means that Black mothers' forum will have to continue raising money year after year. In order to sustain the level of support that families need, public school system leaders should consider various mechanisms to amplify the voices of Black families in education. Further, black Mothers Forum has sustainability issues as it operates as a micro school. These schools serve the needs of Black and increasingly growing Latino community, both of which have children who often encounter challenges in the conventional public school system. Challenges in the conventional public school system. The themes driving this micro school movement in Arizona includes a demand among parents and educators to be more flexible and have affirming learning environments. Black leadership and an emphasis on racial justice by the leaders of these micro schools means that they occupy a unique niche in a region where Black families are typically underrepresented. Black Mothers Forum's network grew to five micro schools in two locations as of the spring of 2023. They have plans to double the number of micro schools for the following school year.

Speaker 1: 13:41

Micro schools offer smaller alternatives to private schools that are often at lower cost and have more structured support from professional educators than typical home school cooperatives. They typically rely on tuition paid by families as their primary source of revenue. In Arizona, however, micro-schools are allowed to receive public dollars through publicly funded scholarship programs and subcontracting arrangements with charter schools. Since micro-schools receive public funding and operate under the auspices of public schools, educational leaders and policymakers have to grapple with how these small, independently operated learning communities challenge conventional assumptions about public funding as well as appropriate oversight. Microschools help raise the awareness of the number of families pursuing alternatives to conventional public schools.

Speaker 1: 14:41

Something that initially began as a result of school closures during the pandemic has continued to persist even after schools reopened and the population of families pursuing micro school communities has grown more diverse. Black families, especially, are growing more uninterested in returning to traditional schools because of the racial microaggressions, a dearth of Black history and culturally responsive teachings, and a harsh and punitive disciplinary system that their children experience on a daily basis. As of the spring of 2023, black Mothers Forum enrolled about 40 children in five micro schools across two locations. There were two educators that worked in each micro school, and the primary goal was to create a safe and nurturing environment for Black students in a metropolitan area where they were underrepresented and frequently mistreated in public schools. The fact that these micro-schools centered around student interests and creating a safe environment seem to appeal across racial lines. Across racial lines, the leaders of the Black Mothers Forum are committed to ensuring that micro-schooling is accessible to Black families by offering low-cost or free tuition to supplement the public funding that they do receive.

Speaker 1: 16:09

These micro-schools have attracted a range of national and local support, including donations from the local NBA and WNBA franchises. The question becomes can these micro schools sustain their operations using only the funding they generate from their students? A BMF micro school receives funding from the state and philanthropic sources. Arizona also has Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or ESAs, which could help generate diversified revenue streams. A second concern for these micro-schools is stability. Since these micro-schools serve economically diverse families of color, they contend with high student and staff mobility. Student and staff mobility, developing a process to safeguard against unstable attendance, funding and staffing may require additional financial resources. Worth noting is that it's challenging for the public, regulators and policymakers to identify educational effectiveness of the Black Mothers Forum's micro schools.

Speaker 1: 17:20

These very small learning environments that span multiple grade levels are not subject to reporting requirements that apply to most public schools. These micro school students are required to take annual state assessments as well as intermediate assessments. Arizona doesn't require empowerment scholarship account students to take assessments, and learning providers that operate as private schools are free to set their own requirements. These policies may present difficulties for parents who want to verify their child's progress against their peers nationally or on state standards. It also raises questions about academic transparency. How can families assess academic efficacy of a micro school that doesn't have standardized assessments? This may require a revised edition of what success means. At these micro schools, success is measured by how the students are engaged in the curriculum and what's going on in class. Parents who have children in these micro schools seem to appreciate that the micro school students were able to follow their own interests and passions, which may not necessarily align with standardized testing. Another question raised by this definition of success is regarding student preparation and rigor as traditionally defined, especially for those students who want to be academically prepared to succeed in four-year colleges four-year colleges. The difficulty of measuring success for micro-schools suggests a need for new individual assessments to measure academic progress and post-secondary readiness.

Speaker 1: 19:09

Bmf micro-schools don't receive public funding for facilities and they rely on partnerships to provide learning spaces. These partnerships could include classrooms provided through education service providers, as well as church facilities. The lack of public funds also impacts transportation to and from school. One micro school in the BMF network community creatively solved this issue at one location by having the organization's CEO personally transport students home. Bmf did receive a state grant to develop a new app to facilitate parent carpools, which was one of several efforts to address shortcomings of traditional school transportation arrangements.

Speaker 1: 20:00

Teachers in Arizona are overwhelmingly white, meaning at least 80 percent of the teaching staff in Arizona is white, and this doesn't match the student population of the state. Bmf micro-schools have been able to recruit the teaching force of student learning coaches who have the same demographic background of their students, although they often lack formal teaching credentials. They're only required to have a teacher of record who holds a formal educator credential on staff and they meet that requirement. Teacher retention is a problem with these micro schools, because some teachers may think that they want to work closely with students in this type of setting, but they fail to realize how intense it could be. The Black Mothers Forum is just one example of the rise in micro schools whose purposes to serve families and communities whose needs are not being met by existing public schools. The demand for these types of micro schools will increase as word spreads. Micro schools are still in the early stages and their intersection with public education is still evolving. One nice thing about Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program that I mentioned previously is that it makes eligible children with disabilities, as well as children attending low-performing public schools, native American children living on tribal lands, children of active-duty military personnel and children in or adopted through foster care eligible to participate in micro-schools.

Speaker 1: 21:55

Barclays schools arose through permissionless innovation, meaning that families didn't ask anyone's permission to create these schools, they just did it. Politics has played, and continues to play, a large role in the decline of spending for education. Nevertheless, there are parents, organizations, entrepreneurs and community businesses that continue to create and support learning environments for children who have diverse educational needs, aptitudes and interests, so that the families have a variety of schooling options. Microschools provide fertile soil for these diverse and innovative education options to blossom and flourish. As long as policymakers don't get in the way, microschooling could revolutionize this nation's K-12 education system, providing a wider range of high-quality, affordable learning options that can meet the needs of individual learners. This form of education shouldn't be the exclusive privilege of the few, but should be an option for all families.

Speaker 1: 24:03

Microschools serve as a midpoint between traditional schooling and homeschooling. There's a heavy emphasis in micro schools on digital and project-based learning, which makes for highly personalized education. Support for micro schools is growing with the expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program. Georgia, mississippi and Nebraska joined other states recently in this Education Freedom Initiative SB 233 into law in April 2024 that would create the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program for students in the lowest performing 25% of public schools. Louisiana's GATOR an acronym meaning Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Scholarship Program passed HB 745 in April 2024 and referred it to the Committee on Education. Missouri's SB 727 was signed into law by Governor Mike Parson in May of 2024. It not only increases the tax credit to individuals and businesses that donate to non-profit education assistance organizations, but also expands eligibility for student participation in empowerment scholarship accounts. In the span of just three years, the number of states with universal or near-universal private school choice has grown from zero to 10, and the number of students eligible for these programs increased by 60 percent.

Speaker 1: 25:58

So what makes micro schools so appealing to parents? There are five possible reasons for this appeal. One personalized learning Microschools have small class sizes which allow teachers to tailor their instruction to individual students. This personalized approach helps address diverse learning needs and fosters deeper understanding. Two flexibility Microschools often have flexible schedules allowing families to adapt schooling to their lifestyle. This can be especially beneficial for parents who work irregular hours or who travel frequently. Three community and relationships. The close-knit environment of micro-schools promotes strong relationships among students, teachers and families. Students often feel more connected and supported. Social connection is established through small community, through small community field trips and activities, parent involvement and community service.

Speaker 1: 27:09

Four innovative approaches Microschools can experiment with innovative teaching methods, curriculum design and assessment techniques. This flexibility encourages both creativity and adaptability. And five cost effectiveness. Several micro schools operate with lower costs than traditional private schools. This affordability makes them accessible to a wider range of families. The National Microschooling Center in 2023 reported that 55% of the prospective microschool founders were white, while 27% were Black and 5% were Latino or Hispanic. These patterns suggest not only potential diversity among students that microschools attract only potential diversity among students that micro schools attract but also a growing entrepreneurial spirit among blacks and other minorities. While some research indicates a slight lowering on standardized test scores in reading, science and social studies, it's too early to know which micro schools may prove to be able to obtain grants for higher quality curriculum or otherwise, or what impact they may have on student achievement. It's true that parents may like micro schools for size, safety, flexibility and distance from home, but academic performance will be the determining factor of their success in coming years. Performance will be the determining factor of their success in coming years. Many passionate educators and parents are highly motivated to make micro schools work for their students and their children.

Speaker 1: 29:04

Now let's move from listening to this discussion to applying it. With that in mind, how does what I've just discussed apply to you? Here are the action steps you can take regarding this topic. In fact, I provide a few resources for you to check out. For my New York listeners, there are a number of micro schools in the greater New York City area that seem to be making a macro impact. These include Brooklyn Apple Academy, agile Learning Center on the upper east side and East Harlem for ages 7 to 16, brooklyn Free School in Clinton Hill for grades pre-K to 12, freebrook Academy in Bed-Stuy for grades K-12, to name a few. For my California listeners, alt School has five of the six schools in the Bay Area and Brightworks is a San Francisco-based micro school. Now be sure to check which alt school locations are still open, because a couple of these have shut down. If I didn't highlight your state, I encourage you to check out the National Microschooling Center at wwwmicroschoolingorg.

Speaker 1: 30:22

These may be viable options when private school or homeschooling is not appropriate for your family. Other organizations working to provide access to micro schools include homeschool pod grants from the National Parents Union. They provide grants that range from $5,000 to $25,000 to parents, families, parent-led parent advocacy organizations and community organizations serving parents and families to provide learning environments for low-income and other disadvantaged children. Learning pods, which are in New York and San Francisco, provide scholarships and partners with foundations and schools to make learning pods in micro-schools as accessible as possible. Umi-verse that's U-M-I-verse in New Jersey connects families looking for micro-school instructors and teachers with individuals willing to participate online or in-person instruction or tutoring. And Stronger Together ATX, which is in Austin, texas, connects low-income families with learning pods that are willing to accept students at little or no charge. It also raises money to support disadvantaged families, as well as work with local businesses to provide free space for micro schools or to offset child care costs for their employees. You can also check with your local school district charter schools or your education savings account to access information about micro schools.

Speaker 1: 32:17

Here are this episode's takeaways. Micro schools can serve from 15 to 150 students and may be full or part-time learning experiences for P-12 students. They provide these learning experiences at lower costs than traditional private schools. The micro school environment is much more of an active learning paradigm than a passive factory model for instruction. Than a passive factory model for instruction, this type of environment can lead to a level of child-centered learning which typically is not found in most charter school systems.

Speaker 1: 32:53

Microschools are not really a new model of schooling. Many are just updated versions of the one-room schoolhouses that existed across America in the latter half of the 19th century. Microschools are typically located in churches, community spaces or commercial buildings. Microschools highlight the challenges faced as far as long-term sustainability without access to public education funding or clear regulatory frameworks that would allow their continued operation. Microschool networks may be one of the most important innovations in the modern era of US K-12 education. They help to boost graduation rates and achievement and may provide high-quality options that are most needed by many communities of color. What are your thoughts on micro-schooling? Is this an option for your family? Let me know your thoughts by leaving me a text comment on my podcast website, k12educationuntangledbuzzsproutcom. Remember to share my podcast with anyone you think would find it valuable. Be sure to tell your friends, family and community about my podcast. Thanks for tuning in and listening to this episode. I hope you'll come back for more K-12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. Until next time, aim to learn something new every day.